About

South Asian Heritage Nottingham is dedicated to collecting, preserving and celebrating the histories of people of South Asian descent in Nottingham. The collection promotes the teaching, learning and understanding of South Asian peoples’ contribution to Nottingham and provides an accessible permanent record of the richness of the South Asian experience in Nottingham.

The Group is a collective of people, both men and women, from the broad South Asian diaspora across Nottingham (and Nottinghamshire). The South Asian diaspora in Nottingham includes people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, as well other South East Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Fuji, African countries such as Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Mauritius, and Caribbean islands such as Jamaica and Trinidad. This backdrop provides a rich texture of stories reflecting people’s history, migration, religion, and a number of social issues. We will explore these projects and on this website over time.

South Asian Heritage Nottingham run a programme of exhibitions and events provide a platform from which to share the diversity of cultures originating from South Asia, past and present. The Group also hold a monthly festival each September. The Festival is a celebration of the culture and heritage of people from South Asian backgrounds who have settled, flourished and contributed to the vibrancy of the Nottingham.

This website celebrates the South Asian community in Nottingham.

The site has two overall aims, firstly it charts the history and heritage of the South Asian community in Nottingham. The South Asian diaspora is very diverse and its links with Nottingham span over a century. Secondly it lists the events and activities of the community who will each September celebrate South Asian Heritage and Cultural Month. Over the month of September will see arts, cultural and community partners from across Nottingham take part in the South Asian Heritage and Cultural Festival – the first of its kind anywhere in the UK.

Some recent heritage projects about the local South Asian community in Nottingham include :

‘Roti Kapda aur Makaan’, (Food, Clothing and Shelter)’

This project told the stories of six elderly people from South Asian backgrounds in Nottingham.

The Dulmial Gun – a ‘hidden history’ of Pakistan’s soldiers of WW1

At the centre of a small village in the mountainous Salt Range region of Pakistan sits a nineteenth century British cannon. Dulmial – known within Pakistan simply as ‘the village with the gun’ – was presented with the artillery piece in 1925 in recognition of the service and sacrifice of the village’s inhabitants prior to and during the First World War. Dr Irfan Malik and Michael Noble, of the Centre for Hidden Histories at the University of Nottingham, wanted to bring the fascinating story of why a nineteenth century Scottish cannon is proudly displayed in a village in the mountains of North Eastern Pakistan to a new audience here in the UK.

Research into the public’s attitude towards the First World War centenary commemorations in Britain found that many people feel that learning about our shared history is important for integration and understanding our diverse modern society. 45% of people also felt that there had not been enough coverage or resources devoted to the contribution of the soldiers from the Commonwealth and the Empire.

You can watch Dr Irfan Malik talk about his families’ story on Sky News below

Asian Activism in Nottingham

Featuring photography and archival material, the Asian Activism project bought together stories from people from the South Asian Diaspora who settled in Nottingham and contributed to challenging everyday racism in the city through different forms of activism. The project held a preview on Thursday 21 June, an exhibition between 22–30 June, 2018, a walk and talk through Lenton, with elders from the community recounted stories from their past, and a community meal and get together.

The Muslim Memory project is charting the history of the Muslim community of Nottingham from 1939 to 1980. By charting the lives of men and women involved in World War 2 and their families, their children and grandchildren, it will examine the changing lives of the local muslim community. The project is due for completion in 2019, with an exhibition at the New Art Exchange in 2020.